Mining Incidents in Minnesota

While attempting to lower feed box on wash plant employee was trapped between feed box and hand railing causing fatal injuries to employee.

Employee was driving Service truck SR136 on the main haul road heading east towards the pit. For unknown reasons at this time it appears the truck hit the berm on the south side of the road causing it to tip sideways ending up on the drivers side. EE was found outside of the vehicle.

Full details are not yet known. Employee was lubricating a conveyor and the conveyor was started. Injuries are either from being thrown from the conveyor or being trapped in machinery.

Employee was placing removable legs on a transfer conveyor. Conveyor was held in place by a loader. Removable leg fell and struck employee in the face, fatally injuring the employee.

A miner' s arm was caught in the components of a conveyor head pulley and conveyor scraper blade assembly, resulting in fatal injury.

Incident is still under investigation. Cause of death is unknown, awaiting autopsy report. The victim was working from an elevated location that was provided with handrails. He was using an 8 foot stepladder. While preparing to weld on an overhead vent pipe, he fell going over the handrail and landed on a railroad track 47 feet below.

The deceased was fatally injured when a P&H Omega 20 ton mobile crane tipped on top of him while he attempted to exit the crane. The crane was attempting to postion a de-watering pipe when the accident occured. This accident is still under investigation by MSHA and Hazmat and United Steelworkers.

Employee fell from cab of drill when drill tipped over. Employee fell approximately 40 feet from the dab to the next lower bench. Fall resulted in fatal injuries.

Employee was in the process of moving a stacking conveyor, hooking chains to the axle frame to be connected to a loader. Conveyor buckled in half landing on him in his attempt to run from the falling conveyor.

Electrical explosion.

Worker was preparing to remove a transmission from a machine. The operator's cab had to be removed prior to removal of transmission. Some or all of the fastners holding the cab were removed. Cab tipped pinning worker between cab, lower deck and hand rail.

Two employees were repositioning a conveyor. One was on the loader which was pulling the conveyor. The victim was directing and somehow got caught under the conveyor tire, crushing him.

INDIVIDUAL CAME INTO CONTACT WITH OVERHEAD POWERLINE CAUSING DEATH BY ELECTRICUTION.

EMPLOYEE WAS OPERATING A CRAWLER TRACTOR ON THE #1039 STOCKPILE IN THE MINE PIT. A FLASH FIRE OCCURRED. THE OPERATOR EXPERIENCED EXTENSIVE BURNS AS HE EXITED THE OPERATOR'S CAB. INVESTIGATION CONTINUES. HE WAS HOSPITALIZED FOR 2 1/2 WEEKS IN THE BURN UNIT. ON NOVEMBER 2, 2000, MSHA WAS NOTIFIED THAT HE EXPIRED AT HOME.

WHILE CUTTING WITH ARCH WELDER, INDIVIDUAL WAS ELECTROCUTED.

THE SHIFT MANAGER TURNED THE VALVE ON THE PIPE PLUG WHICH WAS CONNECTED TO AN AIR COMPRESSOR ON THE BANK TO INFLATE THE PLUG. WHEN HE FELT THERE WAS ENOUGH AIR IN THE PIPE PLUG, HE SHUT THE VA LVE AND STATED OUT LOUD, "I THINK THERE IS ENOUGH AIR IN THE BLADDER, BUT THERE IS STILL SEEPAGE BETWEEN THE BLADDER AND THE PIPE." THE DECEASED BENT OVER THE PIPE AND TURNED THE AIR VALVE ON

EMPLOYEES WERE ATTEMPTING TO FREE BUILT UP SLAG AND DEBRIS FROM WEST WALL OF #2 GRATE PREHEAT AREA. EMPLOYEE INVOLVED WAS ON BACK END OF JACKHAMMER AND BEFORE STARTING, MATERIAL FELL FROM ABOV E, CAUSING ABOVE STATED FATALITY.

OPERATOR OF PICK UP TRUCK WAS CRUSHED BETWEEN HIS TRUCK AND ANOTHER TRUCK THEN TRUCK RAN OVER OPERATOR

VICTIM ENTERED THE TAIL PULLEY AREA AND BECAME INTAGNLED IN TAIL PULLEY. RESULTS WERE FATAL INJURY.

INJURED WAS CHANGING FLAT OUTSIDE DUAL TIRE ON HAULAGE TRUCK. WAS STRUCK BY INSIDE TIRE & OR MOUNTING HARDWARE WHEN LOCK RIM BASE WELD SEPARATED & TIRE EXPLODED.